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The effects of immediate achievement and retention of middle school students involved in a metric unit designed to promote the development of estimating skills
Author(s) -
Jones Michael L.,
Rowsey Robert E.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
journal of research in science teaching
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.067
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1098-2736
pISSN - 0022-4308
DOI - 10.1002/tea.3660270909
Subject(s) - metric (unit) , mathematics education , psychology , analysis of covariance , unit (ring theory) , race (biology) , academic achievement , developmental psychology , mathematics , statistics , engineering , operations management , sociology , gender studies
Three hundred nintey‐seven seventh‐grade students were studied to determine the effect on immediate achievement and retention of a unit designed to promote the development of estimating skills involved in metric measurement. The study involved five teachers with a total of 15 average‐ or advanced‐level classes divided into the reference and treatment groups. A five‐day metric unit was designed so that both groups received exactly the same instruction in metric length, mass, and capacity with the exception of the treatment group's participation in activities relating to the development of estimation skills. Data collected from the Metric Application Instrument and analyzed with analysis of covariance indicated that students in the experimental group did retain significantly more of their improved metric application skills than the students in the reference group. The analysis of the main effects of race, sex, and ability indicated that white students achieved significantly more than black students and that males achieved significantly more than females. Analysis of significant race/ability and sex/race interactions indicated that (a) white students in the advanced group attained significantly greater achievement in metric application skills than black students of equal status and (b) white males significantly retained their metric applications achievement when compared to black males or black or white females.